Adjustable seat support



New l0, 1936. l w.'s. sAUNDERs 2,050,247

ADJUSTABLE SEAT SUPPORT y Filed Jan. 17, 1935 INVENTOR.

A ORN S.

Patented Nfov. 1o, 1936 UNITED STATES ADJUSTABLE 'SEAT SUPPORT Walter `S. Saunders, Pontiac, Mich., assignor to The American Forging and Socket Company,

Pontiac, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application Jimmy 11, 41935, serials. aus

' z claims. (Cl. 155-14) This invention relates to adjustable seat supporting devices, and is particularly applicable to vehicle seats, as those used in automobiles, which are desired to be adjustable in position by per- 5 sons sitting in them, with a minimum of effort and without requiring such persons to rise from the seat. An important object of the invention is the provision of improved and simplified seat adjusting mechanism of great strength and reliability of operation and extremely simple and inexpensive construction, formed almost entirely of stamped sheet metal and provided with novel and simplied latching means easily operable by an occupant of the seat.

Another object of the invention is the provision of vimproved adjustable seat supporting means which when used in conjunction with a relatively long seat, such as those commonly provided in sedan type automobile bodies, enables easy sliding of the seat to desired positions, by

force applied at either end, without the possibility of thereby moving one end faster and farther than the other and so cooking or turningl the seat to a position in which it jams with respect to its guiding means, and its free movement or the operation of the latching means is interfered with. Such cooking and jamming of the seat has been found to constitute a frequent source of diiiiculty with adjustable seat supports as commonly constructed. yIn conjunction with this last mentioned object I aim also to provide novel means for positively transferring the driving force from one end of such a seat to the other, so that no matter which end (or other portion) of the seat is pushed or pulled to move it, the entire seat is made to move with and at the same rate as the part to which the force is applied.

'I'he provision of an improved and greatly sim- 40 plied roller construction of novel design for providing efficient anti-friction bearing between relatively movable parts at very little cost is another object of this invention.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawing illustrating preferred embodiments of my invention and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views'. e In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section partly in plan fragmentarily showing the interior and other portions of a sedan type automobile equipped with seats provided with adjusting means in accordance with the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of one of my adjustable supporting devices, fragmentarily showing the cross shaft by means of which it is preferably connected to another cooperating unit which mayy be of like construction. 5

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the adjustable supporting device in side elevation.

Figures 4 and 5 are side elevation and ex- 10 ploded perspective views respectively of one of my improved roller bearing units; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the device.

In the drawing, reference characters l0 and 15 i! designate supporting legs upon which the seat and adjusting mechanism are carried, the lower member of the latter comprising a flanged channel iron i2 constituting a track, and the cross-sectional contour of which is clearly shown 2G in Figure 6. Another complementarily formed channel member i4, constituting a carriage, is inverted over and slidable relatively to the track channel and provided with a bight portion of similar size. The carriage channel is also pro- 25 vided with ilanges l5 which are longer than the flanges I3 of the track channel; Carried by the anges l are keying portions it which freely under-hang the shorter anges of supporting track channel i2, thus permitting sliding move- 39 ment 'of the carriage channel while preventing its vertical separation from the track channel.

Within the rectangular space between the bight portions of the channel members i2-|4, and holding them and their flanges in desiredly 35 spaced and freely slidable relation are antifriction roller members, which are preferably of the construction best shown in Figures 4 and 5. These will presently be described in greater detail; -it suflices for the present to say, however, 40 that they provide freely rolling support for the carriage channel.

Suitable means are provided for securing the carriage channel to the underside of a seat or other object to be supported, such means being 45 shown as comprising a clinch nut 22 carried by the rear extremity of the carriage channel and a pair of' suitablytapped apertures extending through the forward extremity of this channel and a rack plate 30 secured to the top thereof 50 (and presently to be described). With these tapped aperatures and the clinch nut suitable machine screws 28 cooperate to'secure the seat 21 upon the carriage channel.

Near the forward extremity of the track chan- 55 flange Il and A able in desired positions, the dog being yieldably held in engagement with the notches by means of a tension spring 25 stretched between the lug portion 22 carried by the dog and flange I5. Retraction ofthe dog to free the seat for sliding movement is effected by' means of a handle 28 secured to the dog and so projecting forwardly as to position it conveniently near and directly beneath a front corner of the seat. l I

It will be understood that one such slidable seat supporting assembly or unit as has just been describedmay be mounted beneath and near each side of the seat, but that only one such unit need be provided with latchlng means such as that described in the immediately preceding paragraph. since the single latchlng means carried by one unit is sufiicient to lock the seat, al-

' though obviously separate latches might be provided if desired, adapted to be worked either by the same handle or separate handles, as desired. In Figure 1 the unit unequipped with latching means is generally designated 35.

Centrally along the upper and lower plate portions of -channel members I2-I4'are punched a plurality of evenly spaced holes 3l-32 adapted to form racks with which the guiding gear portions l2 of the rollers are adapted to engage.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5 each roller may comprise a pair of cylindrically cupped stamped elements lll-4I, each having at its open end similar peripherally spaced flange segments I2 forming gear teeth and cooperating with the teeth of the adjacent cupped unit when the two are assembled in the manner indicated to constitute a gear portion for controlling movement of the roller. The two sections III-4I are tted together and over a split spring sleeve 44 by which they are yieldably held, as shown in Figure 4. It will be seen that when these members are so assembled upon the spring sleeve, which is somewhat compressed by the cupped elements, and the assembly inserted in the .track and carriage channels I2-I4 fn the manner shown in Figure 3 and 6, the gear portions formed by the ilange-serrations are adapted to mesh with the rack apertures 3I-32 to positively maintain the rollers in positions and paths of movement within the complementary channels I2-I4, while the channels and rack apertures also lock the cupped roller elements in assembled relation and the toothed portions against disalignment. By virtue of the way in which these portions trap the roll elements it will be seen that the inner sleeve 44 might, if desired be omitted,y and the sections properly located in any event. In fact the sleeve u is chiefly useful in preventing separation 'of the elements during assembly. i

The existence of some slight amount of play or looseness in such adjustable seat supporting devices is as a practical matter unavoidable, since they must work freely and easily, and are ordinarily manufacturedin quantities and largely of stampings. as indicated. It has been found as a result that such looseness tends to permit the seat to cock or turn sideways slightly and sometimes jam. thus seriously interfering with its free movement and the operation of the latchlng mechanism. This dilculty is particulariy noticeable when the seat is attempted to be moved by force applied at one end (as it frequently is). I have shown means adapted to overcome this annoying and troublesome tendency, and positively prevent such cooking of the seat, by providing for equal application of driving force at both ends, no matter from what position the force maybe applied, in conjunction with mechanism whichalso provides a constantly effective lock against tilting.

A cross shaft extends between the opposite imits (designated 35-35 in Figure 1) and is provided at each end with a pinion 5I rigidly secured thereto. The ends of the shaft may project beyond the pinions, as shown, to be trunnioned in the vertical flanges of angle brackets 53 which vertical flanges are supported in upstanding position beside the track by horizontal flange portions which project between the track channel I2 and front leg of each unit, where they may be held in any suitable fashion, as by welding. It will be seen that the brackets 53 serve merely as bearing or supporting hangers for the shaft, which is held against undesired end play by the positioning of the flanges directly outside the opposed gears 5I, as shown in Figure 6.

Each gear 5I meshes with a rack carried. by the appurtenant carriage channel Il. The rack may, as shown, be formed by punching a plurality of slots in desired spaced relation in each rack plate 30 in conformity to teeth of gear 5I, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, into which slots the gear teeth fit in meshing relation. By virtue of this arrangement it will be seen that when the seat and so the carriage channel Il is slid with relation to the supporting channel I2, the movement imparted to one rack 55 turns the shaft 50 through gear 5l and so drives the opposed gear and rack, and by such transmitted drive positively moves the opposite end of the seat in like and simultaneous fashion.

The gears 5I being fast upon cross shaft 50, the racks and so the opposite carriages are held in their desired relation at all times, turning or cooking of the seat being thus positively prevented and freedom ofmovement thereof accordingly insured.

Despite the simplicity of this construction it will be seen to be one of great strength and facile operation. The seat is easily releasable and quickly movable, yet normally rigidly locked in position, and the arrangement of the rollers lli-II and absence of parts in direct slldable engagement virtually eliminates friction. I

While it will be apparent that the illustrated embodiments of my invention herein disclosed are calculated to adequately fulll the objects and advantages primarily stated it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible to variation, modification and change within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. Supporting means for a seat or the like comprising a pair of spaced substantially paralel track members, a carriage including an inverted channel member movably carried by each track member for travel therealong, said carriage members being adapted to cooperate in supporting a seat, and means connecting said carriage members to insure substantially unitary movement thereof, including a cross shaft rotatably supported by and extending between said track the other, said rack elements comprising plateshaving perforations therein substantially wider than the thickness of the gears, into which perforations the teeth of the gears extend'.

2. Supporting means for a seat or the like Ycomprising a pair of spaced substantially parallel channel track members, a carriage comprising an inverted channel member movably -carried by each track member for travel therealong', said carriage members being adapted to cooperate in supporting a seat. and means connecting said carriage members to insure substantially unitary movement thereof, including a cross shaft lying in the general plane of said channel members, bracket means extending laterally from the track members and supporting the shaft for rotation on a relatively xed axis,I a pair of gear elements fast on the shaft, and a rack element comprising a plate carried by each channel member and projecting inwardly therefrom spacedly above the bracket means, each plate having perforations therein wider than the thickness of the gear and meshing with the teeth of one of said gear e1ements.

WALTER S. SiUNDERS. 

